Vulcanizing unit



jam., 4, l@ G. R. WAID vuLcAN-.rzmc UNIT Filed Feb. 21, 194s Patented `ian. 24? 1950 UN ITEJD iS TATE-S GLF-FICE 'VULCANIZING'IJNJED George R. Wad, Willoughby, hio, assignorto 'The Dill .ltanlrfactnringcompany, Cleveland,- Oliio, a corporation ofOhio .Applicationebruary 21, 1948,;Seiiiaa1Nioil0gll32v- (Cl. 'U9-19') .fillaims 1 This invention relates `to a vulcanizing unit `,and ,particularly Yto `an :electrical vulcanizing yunit `for Y.villeanizing-patches upon rubber l articles such :as :tire tubes, rubber balls, bags and the like.

'The present invention .is an improvement lon the vulcanizing unit 'disclosed in -Crowley .Reissue Patent 21,230, lreissuedzOctoher l10, 1939, original Patent 2,075,305, issued Marchl, 1937 on an application Serial No. 59,438, Afiled January 16, 19.36.

.The vulcanizing unit'shownin said :Crowley lReissue Patent:21,230 comprises a part or member which contains vthe heating element 'and .which can beiused repeatedly, together witna partor m'emberecarrying the-vulcanizing patch.

and which is -veryfsimple and :inexpensive and after use rcan rbethrown away.

In use the rstnamed member is superimposed upon the patch 4carrying -rnember .in a :predetermined relative position with respect vvthereto land-.1a fusible .plug Aor elementen thefpa-tch-carrying member contacts` an arcuate spring: Acontact ,fingeron the first membertcxpressithe same into .electrical :con-tact with a contact finger thatfis electrically connected-to the heating element .carried yby the first named member. This heating element isalso electricallyconnectedl to 1a `Contact whichprojects radially beyond the cireumference of the iiirstvnamedi memberY .and -to which oneside fofan electrical supply current may he `connected 'while theother .side'of said .current is electrically :connected .to .the .clamp in :which the rinitis/used and .which .clampsapiplies .the necessary vuicanizingfpressurezzto the iunit.

The varcuate spring. contact finger of .the heatingy element carrying member of the-Vulcanizing unit .shown :in `said :Crowley Reissue. Patent 21,230.115 .cut from' the materiahof the *.pl'ate formingrthe underside of said. member and has faireeend which overlies .the contactzngerthat lisconnected, lto the heating element. .Also 'in the patented construction thexfusible Aplug vonrthe lpatch carrying member Vof the unit iis i adapted 'to engage'thespring .contact nger .referred to adjacent the .freeend Lof said finger. The difficulties inherent in the .construction of theunit `rshownin said Crowley `Patent 21,230 fare that the=spring contact Vfinger having a v'free `end tends to'be caught in `foreign objects with airesultantbendingof the contact -finger, or foreign objects readily work beneath the spring contact finger and prevent said finger beingpressed into electrical contact Ywith the contact fingerthat is `connected to the resistance element or the :fusible .plnglon the patch carrying member .of the .unit frequentlyv fuses and runs around the free end of the spring contact iinger and uponfthe .other contact ,finger .with .the Vresult .that Athe two .contact fingers lmay become .unitedwhen vthe .fusiblematerial'lhardens An object of the present invention is to provide a svulcanizingnunit fsimilary tothe. unit shown in .said Crowley-:Reissue: Ratent .21,230 but which avoidsttne diicnlties rand. disadvantages of .the patented constructionfandfwhich were reierredto above, in that the improved vulcanizing `unit and particularlyethe.:member thereof carrying the .fheating element` is 3.provided with a spring-conv.tact portion .that does :notahave .-a free end but Vis;'integraliy.connectedat fitsr opposite ends -to the plate :on :the underside foi the member which carries-the. heating element.

`Further and additional objectsiand .advantages .not hereinbeiorel specied twill Vbecome .apparent ,hereinafter-.-dnrnggthefidetailed :descripticnlof an .embodiment of g the invention which .is to. follow.

:Reierring-to fthe:accompanyingfdrawing illus- ;tratingfsaid '.embodiment,

VEig. l :is-ran .elevational View foi' `the' vulcanizing nnit'mitli xtheftwo v:members thereoffseparated and with .a portionof one loi the insulating f disks .of 'the heating element .carryingm'ember broken away.

-isfa plan view Loffithe bottom zor underside oiflthe heating element carryingl member of the ennit; ,-withfa: :portion f oi `-theimetal plate :on said inuit.

ivhe vnicanizing unit .comprises the member A :which carries heating- ,element and the memberB .which carriesfthe.patchl llheimember A `comprises .a :b'owednme'tal disk fill .slocated .at lthe :rrp-per `vsife of :the .meniberfand @a v'bowed v.metal .diskpii locatednai; the lunderf or '.lowerffside of the member. .The/.disk limits peripherysisprovided with arecessi which nyerlieseanadiall-y.extend- 4ingzarm '.iicoian disk .iuformed vof :asbestos .'.er :other suitable :electrical Y.insulating material anddocatedimrrrediatel-yradi a'cent tothe inner side o the metal diskziit. 'The metal Vdish :it isia'lso provided ine'its periphery with( recesses itin-and I 6j, :tli'eipurpose of'whiclriis fully-.explained in said Crowley Reissue iatentl andV willalso be pointed out hereinafter. ryThe'.'insul'a'ting 4disk it vover-lies aco'iled. electrical heating element ,i .l one .end oi :whicll' `isfelectricallyv connected lto 2a contact plate vIrlzitliat: proj ects* radially beyond fthe :eircom-'ference lofi ltlfrecdisk` it and underlies lnotl'prolject 'beyond thelcircurnference ofthe insnlating-fdiskill; Affsecond insulating disk En interposed between 4ithe heating element lil and 'the lower or bottomv metal-'diskili lSoi the member cumference with an arcuate cut out portion 2l and the contact arm I9 extends into this cut out portion 2l. The metal disks I0 and II and the insulating disks I4 and 20 are all provided with central registering openings, wherefore a rivet 22 passing through said openings maintains the disks in assembled relationship with the heating element Il clamped between the insulating disks I I and 20.

The lower metal disk II is provided with an arcuate opening or slot 23 which substantially overlies the arcuate cutout recess 2| of the insulating disk 20. The arcuate slot 23 is not on a true radius since the portions thereof located beyond the points indicated X and Y in Fig. 4 are on different radii than is the portion included between the points X and Y. In other words, the material of the disk II located radially outwardly of the slot 23 is integrally connected to the remainder of the disk by relatively narrow connecting portions or strips 24. These narrow connecting portions provide for flexure of the material lying radially outwardly of the slot 23 toward the insulating disk III and into engagement with the Contact arm I9, it being recalled that the referred-to portion of the disk II overlies the arcuate cutout recess in the circumference of the insulating disk 20.

The patch-carrying member B of the unit comprises a bowed metal disk 25 on the concave or underside of which is mounted the patch 26. The disk 25 is provided at diametrically opposite points in its circumference with upstanding lugs 2l and 28 which when the members A and B are superimposed in use engage, respectively, in the recesses I5 and I6 of the disk I0 of the member A and locate the members in a predetermined relative position.

The upper side of the disk 25, as viewed in Fig. 4, is provided with a plug 29 formed of suitable fusible material and said plug functions when the members are superimposed and pressure applied thereto to flex that portion of the metal disk II of the member A which lies radially outwardly of the slot 23 into contact with the Contact arm I9. The fusible plug 29 is so located that it engages the disk II at a point located in line with the lower side of the arm I9.

It will be understood that when the vulcanizing unit is used the members A and B are superimposed with the lugs 2 and 2B of the member B engaging in the recesses I5 and IS of the disk I0 of the member A and then pressure is applied, with the result that the disks I0, II and 25 of the members are electrically connecting to the heating element through the contact arm I9 and fusible plug 29 which fiexes the disk II into contact with said arm.

The unit is used in a suitable clamp and one side of the current supply for activating the heating element is connected to the clamp while the other side thereof is connected to the contact arm I3. In other words, the clamp with which the unit is used is included in the electrical circuit through the heating element. When the heat has reached a predetermined point the fusible plug 29 fuses, whereupon that portion of the disk II lying radially outwardly of the slot 23 flexes out of Contact with the arm I9 and the circuit through the heating element is interrupted.

It will be seen that the portion of the disk II which is flexed by the fusible plug into Contact with the contact arm I9 has no free end under which foreign objects are likely to work and no free end which might catch in obstacles and bend eli.'

the flexible portion of the disk. It will also be noted that the fusible plug 29 engages `the exible portion of the disk II substantially at its widest point as distinguished from engaging it adjacent a free end thereof and hence when the plug fuses there is little likelihood that the molten metal from the plug will work beneath the flexible portion of the disk I I and between such portion and the Contact arm I9.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein it will be understood that the invention is susceptible of various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the appended claims. v

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A vulcanizing device comprising a pair of cooperating superimposed members one of said members being adapted to have pressure applied thereto by a suitable clamping means and being provided with an insulated electrical resistance element having an exposed uninsulated portion, said member including a disk having a flexible portion overlying said exposed portion of said resistance element with said flexible portion integrally connected at its opposite ends to said disk, the other of said members being separable from said first member and adapted to carry a vulcanizing patch, and means carried by said second named member and acting when said members are arranged in superimposed relationship and pressure applied thereto to engage said flexible portion of the disk of said first member and flex the same into electrical contact with the exposed portion of said resistance element.

2. A vulcanizing unit as defined in claim 1 and wherein the flexible portion of said disk of said first member constitutes a disk portion integrally connected at its opposite ends to the main body of the disk and located outwardly of an arcuate slot formed in the disk.

3. A vulcanizing device comprising a pair of cooperating superimposed members, one of said members being adapted to have pressure applied thereto by a suitable clamping means and being provided with an insulated electrical resistance element having an exposed uninsulated portion, said member including a disk having a flexible portion overlying said exposed portion of said resistance element, the flexible portion of the disk comprising a portion located radially outwardly of an arcuate slot formed in the disk, said slot having portions formed on different radii and providing relatively narrow interconnecting strips between the opposite ends of the flexing portion of the disk and the main body of the disk, the other of said members being separable from said first member and adapted to carry a vulcanizing patch, and means carried by said second named member and acting when said members are arranged in superimposed relationship and pressure applied thereto to engage said flexible portion of the disk of said first member and flex the same into electrical contact with the exposed portion of said resistance element.

GEORGE R. WAID.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Crowley Mar. 30, 1937 

